Census trivia

Some not-so-well-known details about distant-past and more-recent efforts to gather the information of Canadians.

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Here are some not-so-well-known details about distant-past and more-recent efforts to gather the information of Canadians.

- The cost for preparing, conducting and analyzing the 2011 census was budgeted at $660 million.

- Data from all censuses up to 2006 takes up three terabytes of space on 14 computer servers at Statistics Canada. A terabyte equals 1,000 gigabytes. The average iPod music player holds 32GB of data. In 2010 Facebook used 60,000 servers to store user data.

- About half a dozen people are fined during every census for refusing to fill out the forms. The penalties range from $25 to $500 and the census must be completed. No one has ever gone to jail for refusing to complete the census.

- This year about 50 journalists have registered to attend a lockup that begins one minute after midnight on Wednesday.

TYPES OF CENSUS QUESTIONS.

- There were 211 questions on the 1871 census.

- By 1901 the census had a whopping 561 questions on 11 different questionnaires.

- There were 53 questions on the long form of the 2006 census. The short form had only eight questions.

- The 2011 National Household Survey had 65 questions. The short form had 10 questions.

- In the pre-Confederation era, regional censuses focused on assessing wealth for purposes of taxation or counting bodies available for militia duty.

- A census in 1765 asked the first race and ethnicity questions to determine the numbers of Catholics and Protestants in the colonies.

- In the 19th century, there were questions about the number of muskets and swords in households.

- The 1871 census was the first to ask education questions.

- Housing questions in the North included wigwams and tents in the 1881 census.

- In the early 20th century, the census wanted to know if anyone in the household suffered 'infirmities' such as blindness, or 'simple-mindedness.'

- The 1901 census was the first to ask about citizenship.

- The 1911 census stopped asking every household about the annual fish catch, types of boats and fishing gear owned.

- The 1931 census asked many questions about unemployment to gauge the extent of the Depression.

- The 1941 census asked detailed questions on housing, home ownership and mortgages to provide the government with data to assist in urban planning and equalization payments to the provinces.

- It was the first census to ask about the number of flush toilets in the dwelling. The question was flushed away by 1976.

- The 1971 census was the last to ask about military service in the household. The agriculture census that year began asking about the use of pesticides and fertilizer.

- The 1996 census asked about aboriginal identity and unpaid work.

- The 2001 census question on relationships was expanded to count same-sex relationships for the first time.

- A new question in 2006 asked for permission to release the data in 92 years.

- New questions in the 2011 National Household Survey include one on subsidized housing and child care and child support payments.

- In response to concerns about the cancelled long-form census two questions on language were moved to the mandatory short-form questionnaire.

HOW THE CENSUS IS PREPARED

- In 1871, census data was tabulated manually by dozens of clerks and published in five bilingual volumes.

- By 1921 there was an army of census canvassers and enumerators trained for duty. Up to 350 people were specifically trained to tabulate the data in addition to thousands of enumerators.

- In 1931, Fernand Belisle, an employee of the Census Bureau, developed an improved mechanical sorter-tabulator that read the data cards 50 times faster than before.

- The 1971 census required 41,000 trained enumerators.

- The 2006 census data was all captured and tabulated by computer. A total 20,000 enumerators were hired and trained for several weeks of work.

- A total of 5,000 crew leaders hired and trained 30,000 enumerators in 2011.

- The 2011 census was mostly filled out online. A total of 60 per cent of households only received a letter with an access code for a secure website

Almost Done!

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Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.